The Masterharper of Pern (Dragonriders of Pern)
Anne McCaffrey
Language: English
Pages: 432
ISBN: 0345424603
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
In a time when the deadly scourge Thread has not fallen on Pern for centuries--and many dare to hope that Thread will never fall again--a boy is born to Harper Hall. A musical prodigy who has the ability to speak with the dragons, he is called Robinton, and he is destined to be one of the most famous and beloved leaders Pern has ever known.
It is a perilous time for the harpers who sing of Thread--they are being turned away from holds, derided, attacked, even beaten. In this climate of unrest, Robinton will come into his own. But despite the tragedies that beset his own life, he continues to believe in music and in the dragons, and he is determined to save his beloved Pern from itself--so that the dragonriders can be ready to fly against the dreaded Thread when at last it returns . . .
And he’s not going to be satisfied with just High Reaches.” “Oh, come now, Rob,” Melongel said. “He has the Hold he coveted, yes. But that’s large enough to satisfy anyone’s ambitions.” “Not Fax’s. And where are Lobirn and Mallan? And Bargen?” “Yes.” Minnarden’s voice was anxious. “I worry about them.” “We should,” Robinton said, still pacing, and smoothing the hair back from his face. He needed to have it trimmed again … Kasia had done it the last time … Quickly he seized on Fax’s aggression
measured tread out of the Hall, down the steps, and across the narrow courtyard to their waiting mounts. If the runnerbeasts tossed their heads, sidled, and shied, it was because their riders communicated their fury and humiliation to them. Big Black twice tried to rear and kicked out when another animal came close enough. Robinton was sure he would burst a blood vessel before they got halfway to the Nabol border. They crossed Ruatha without incident. Aware that they were being followed—and that
had no trouble identifying the writer of the tiny, precisely placed notes and hummed the tune. Simple and very easy, up the C scale and then down by thirds. Fort was first, South Boll then Ruatha came and Tillek, too. Benden next and north Telgar … Easy enough for a child to sing, but effective with the tune itself as an aid to memory. “That’s not bad,” Merelan said. “Not bad?” Kubisa stared at her in disgust. “For a child five Turns old? It’s incredible. Washell wants me to use it in
Don’t mind Calanuth, Kilminth told Robie in a somewhat supercilious tone. He’s too young to have much sense. Who’s talking about having some sense? Oh, curl up in the sun, and then Kilminth lowered his head down to Robinton. Robie was a touch nervous at the size of that head, but the eye nearest him—almost bigger than his sturdy little-boy body—was green and circling idly. He could see himself reflected over and over again in the facets closest to him, making him slightly dizzy. The upper
more from working with various masters now that she’s learned the basics.” She gave one of her enigmatic smiles. “She can sing with Halanna.” Robinton’s opinion wasn’t asked, but he would have much preferred a longer term at Benden Hold and not just because of his friendship with Falloner, Hayon, and the others. He didn’t really want to go back to the Harper Hall, even if, when an excited Maizella started quizzing him about his home, he suddenly missed his friends there, even Lexey. Maizella’s